The LNP president has conceded the government had been sent “a clear message” in the wash-up from Saturday’s byelection, with a 17.2 per cent swing in Labor’s direction.

But Bruce McIver said he didn’t believe the Redcliffe result would have “any bearing elsewhere”.

Speaking to 612 ABC Brisbane, Mr McIver said Queensland would see a “more consultative” approach from the government in the future.

Premier Campbell Newman is yelled at by a protester after leaving the Humpybong state school in Redcliffe where he was supporting local LNP candidate Kerri-anne Dooley. Photo: Harrison Saragossi

“The Premier acknowledged on Saturday evening that some of the issues that the government has had to tackle, maybe they haven’t listened close enough to the people or moved too quickly for the people,” Mr McIver said.

Advertisement

“But Campbell acknowledged that on Saturday evening and I think you’ll find that the Premier will adjust going forward.

“... You’ll find they will be out there listening more and telling the people what they have done and achieved for every Queenslander, the benefit for every Queenslander, the costs will be lower than they would be under Labor, any Labor government going forward because of the good work we have been doing.”

Party faithful watch a television report at the post election function for LNP candidate Kerri-anne Dooley in the Recliffe byelection. Photo: Harrison Saragossi

With 5000 postal votes still to be counted, Mr McIver said it would be “interesting” to see where the swing result settled.

But he said he wasn’t concerned the Redcliffe result would be replicated across the state when the general election is held, sometime early next year.

“I don’t think it has any bearing elsewhere, we all know the issues, the major issue that was there,” he said.

Redcliffe byelection on February 22 2014

“Now we have a clear message, myself and the Premier and the team, and we will be adjusting things as we go forward to make sure we get the message across to Queenslanders of the wonderful job that Campbell Newman and the team are doing.”

But he said he was concerned over behaviour he witnessed at polling booths, describing it as “unAustralian”.

“I don’t mind a bit of friendly heckling, but it just went too far,” he said.

“There were seven registered unions in this campaign plus the ALP, so we fought eight groups in other words and a lot of the things that happened on the polling booths were unAustralian, would be my term.

“... I think that the people were intimidated, some ladies were intimidated, they were told by these supposed firemen that their houses might burn down because Campbell Newman was shutting fire stations down, which is not true, we are not shutting fire stations anywhere. So it was an intimidating process on Saturday.”

Labor state secretary Anthony Chisholm retaliated by calling “the past two years of LNP governing”, unAustralian.

“What we saw on election day is a direct result of the decisions this government have made,” he said.

“Newman has divided Queensland. It is very unusual for the Labor party to have doctors standing beside us telling people to put the LNP last. But this is as a result of the decisions the Newman government have made.

“I never saw any behaviour that the LNP are talking about, but in the last term for the Anna Bligh government I saw people protesting some of the decisions they made. Newman needs to accept responsibility for his decisions and people are out there in a democracy, expressing their view.”

Mr Chisholm said the Redcliffe result was a “massive shot in the arm” for the Labor party, which would finish pre-selecting for the state’s 89 seats over the next two months.

“We’ll have a good mix, it will be rank and file ballots and we’ll have a good selection of people from across the community,” he said.

“There will be experienced candidates, but also, more importantly, there will be some fresh blood from the community and that is fantastic.”

Mr Newman, who has travelled to Mission Beach for community cabinet, was heckled by protesters upon his arrival in north Queensland.

But he said he “would not rest” in his mission to “turn this state around”.

“This isn’t a government that has ever rested, that has ever gone slow, it is a government that is turning the state around, economically and in terms of the government,” he said.

“That is what I can assure people about this team. We don’t rest, we don’t take it easy, we are passionate Queenslanders who want this to be the best state in Australia.”

Pre-selections for both major parties are expected to be completed soon, with the majority of the second half of the year focused on the upcoming general election.

58 comments so far

Based on the LNP and Coalition, this vote is a mandate for the ALP policies. Like hell it is. You want a mandate, hold a referendum, but you do not have the guts to do so in case you are defeated. The major parties have lost the plot and they remain the biggest sovereign risk to Australia.

Commenter

Sean

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 3:30PM

I see it as a protest vote.... Mr driscoll was so bad that we will even take Yvette Darth

The problem with LNP burning Mr driscoll so badly was that (perhaps) it might have contained the backlash to some extent, although it was always going to result in a serious backlash in Redcliffe

it was a protest vote all the way

Commenter

swinging voter

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 6:36PM

Do you know what's "unAustralian"? Taking away freedom of association, attacking the independence of the judiciary and insulting lawyers who voice their concerns about your trashing fundamental features of our legal system.

Commenter

Tim

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 3:32PM

Well the bikies started it by shooting people in shopping centres and bashing them in restaurants, all in broad daylight. What did you expect the government to do ? Just say you naughty naughty boys like the Labor Party would have ?

Commenter

Myself

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 4:08PM

Or use it for political gain like John Howard did with the Tampa?

Commenter

G.N.

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 4:15PM

myself there were laws in place to look after these events but the police ignored them had they been doing there job none of these things would have happened

Commenter

max

Location

Qld

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 4:19PM

Myself - all the acts you describe are already illegal. I would expect the government to resource the police and allow them to do their job. This is a deeper issue than party politics. It's the LNP who are dangerous now (and have been particularly gung-ho and ignorant of why our system is set up in a certain way), but I was equally horrified when Labor was proposing similar laws when they were in power.

Commenter

Tim

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 4:33PM

@ myself,If the bikies (or anyone else for that matter) are shooting people in shopping centres, that is a job for the police. Arrest them and charge them with the actual crime.The shooting that happened at Robina involved only 2 people, so the VLAD laws wouldn't help in that circumstance anyway.Perhaps letting the police do their job (eg patrols to deter crime) and investigate serious crimes might help, instead of spending time revenue raising & issuing tickets.

Commenter

Scotty

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 5:22PM

Apparently it was an affront to have people campaign against the government in Redcliffe if they didn't live there. Yet It seems every Newman goernment minister was campaigning for their candidate - few of the them would be from Redcliffe (including teh LNP candidate). And those LNP politicians show disdain for campaign volunteers by calling them frauds - they weren't real firefighters, it is alleged. LNP MPs and their staff marched up to all manner of booth workers and thrust their phones in faces, taking their picture - for what? File? Their scrapbook? Intimidation? Now we have distraction by assertions the Premier's wife was insulted. Really? I would think with so many witnesses at those polling booths that this would be easy to verify. Instead we get denigration of volunteers and misdirection.

Commenter

Molly

Date and time

February 24, 2014, 3:35PM

This is so true Molly. LNP people take photographs of others at polling booths and are aggressive to others (who are volunteers unlike LNP workers, frequently).

And then the LNP has the hide to say that others have intimidated them - just like the Tea Party folks in the US shouting down opponents at town hall meetings and then calling their opponents "fascists".as